


Suspend

by Eldabe



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Adoptive Familes, Depression, Fix-It, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-28
Updated: 2012-10-28
Packaged: 2017-11-17 04:45:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/547751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eldabe/pseuds/Eldabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After coming back to life in <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/196863/chapters/290360">Rescues</a>, Ianto is still in the hospital and despite being reunited with his mother, Steven won't leave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Suspend

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Rescues](https://archiveofourown.org/works/196863) by [NancyBrown](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NancyBrown/pseuds/NancyBrown). 



> Originally posted on my livejournal [here](http://eldarwannabe.livejournal.com/189483.html).

Jack made them both memorize a code. Well, his mobile number and a code, but Ianto already had the mobile number memorized. And Jack said that the code was more important than his number anyway. 

"You can always come find me, if necessary," he insisted. 

So they learned the code first. 

It was a random string of numbers ending with foreign word Ianto struggled to pronounce. Jack made them practice, insisting that they recite it to him again and again. Steven had an easier time with the twisty syllables, after a few false starts, but the numbers blurred together for him too easily. Ianto committed it to memory the way he did random facts and archive numbers, but he tried to think up a pneumonic for Steven, something to make the numbers easier. 

"It's a special code," Jack explained to the both of them. "It stays the same no matter what, so if there is some sort of time flux, and something happens, you can say it to me and I'll trust you. No matter what."

Steven looked down and away, and Ianto recognized his own gesture of denial. 

"I _will_." Jack insisted. "Even if I don't--even if I don't remember you, even if I can't believe you, I _will_ trust you."

Steven mumbled the numbers and played with the edge of Ianto's thin hospital blanket. 

Later, when Jack came back from Alice's hotel room (where he tended to just sit, as long as Alice let him, after Steven fell asleep) Jack made Ianto recite the code again.

"It's from when I was a Time Agent." Jack said, sitting heavily on the edge of Ianto's bed. 

Ah, well. Ianto had assumed as much. "Does Hart know this one?" 

"What? No. This one was just for myself. And family. It's...it's really my personal code, for messages to myself when necessary. I've only given it to one or two people before."

Considering Jack's lifetime, that was surprising. It didn't stop Ianto's skepticism. 

"Ah."

"Ianto, this is all I have. For if this happens again."

"Thank you," Ianto said, more kindly. Jack felt horrible and guilty all the time now, hovering around Steven and Ianto, checking up on them constantly. Ianto appreciated it, especially when Jack used the Torchwood name to push past the nurses after visiting hours. When Jack wasn't there, Ianto read his get-well cards late into the night, thumbing through the pile on his nightstand. He slept with his mobile in his hand, and sometimes he would re-read text messages when he woke up alone. Sometimes he would call in a nurse, just to hear them say, "Mr. Jones?" when they came in. 

But most nights Jack stayed with him, after Alice kicked him out. 

Ianto had finally met her properly, because she was never far from Steven, and Steven had refused to leave Cardiff until Ianto was out of the hospital. 

So instead of school, where he should be, Steven spent most afternoons in a chair in Ianto's hospital room, his mother next to him, and Jack hovering over them when he wasn't saving the world. Gwen liked to bring lunch. Rhi came by every few days for a bit. Sometimes Lois and the new guy dropped in. Ianto had asked for a laptop, but everyone was carefully avoiding talking about Torchwood business in front of him. Or him, Steven and Alice. 

Ianto tried to awkwardly encourage Steven to move on. Alice had thanked him days ago while he was still high as a kite, but he still couldn't quite figure out how to sort his relationship with her or Steven. So Ianto casually spoke about friends Steven must miss, classes in school, footie games he could be playing. 

Steven curled in his chair with books and video games that Jack bought, and Alice reviewed maths and geography so he would be able to catch up when he finally went home. 

Ianto still couldn't stay up through the day, hazy on drugs and sleepless nights, but he tested moving his arm whenever he was alone, trying to figure out if he could check himself out early and let Steven move on. None of this was healthy for him. 

There was some sort of world-threatening emergency on Tuesday, and Jack had been called out by Albert hours ago. Steven was listless, reading a book propped up on his knees. Alice was whispering angrily into her phone, and Ianto pretended to ignore her, drafting texts to Rhi on his phone and then discarding them. She checked in with him every day, but he didn't need to bother her on top of that. Steven's eyes had stopped moving on the page. 

Alice's eyes slid toward Steven, then darted to Ianto. "This isn't a good time," she hissed into the phone, "I promise I'll get back to-fine!"

She held the phone away from her ear, and tousled Steven hair. "I'm going right outside the door, Steven, is that ok?"

"Fine," he mumbled. She met Ianto's eyes for a second, and he shrugged with his good arm.

Alice slid the door closed behind her, and Ianto had no doubt that she would keep opening it to check on them every few seconds. They sat in silence for a moment, Steven's eyes still unmoving on the page. 

"Do you want to read out loud for a little bit?" Ianto suggested. They had done that on one of the first days, when Alice had one arm still wrapped around Steven and Jack had been relegated to the far corner and Rhiannon had been holding his hand and Gwen sat on the edge of his bed and Ianto was still swimming in too many painkillers. After all the questions had been answered, they had sat there, Rhi fixing his blanket and Gwen brushing tears leaking from the corners of her eyes and Alice's lips pressing thin. So Ianto had suggested a book, desperate to break the silence. He was going to offer to read it to Steven, but the words blurred in front of his eyes when Jack came back at a run from the gift shop, and Steven had offered hesitantly instead. 

Now Steven looked up, a little surprised. Ianto tried for a smile. "We never did get to finish our last book, did we?"

Steven looked down, and smoothed down the page as if he was about to read.

"If..." Steven stopped. "You promised you wouldn't leave me."

 _What?_ "I haven't." Ianto said, trying to push himself up and figure this out. "You can go home, Steven, if you want to. It's fine."

Steven stared at the page again, and hunched his shoulders. "What if I don't want to?"

"What?"

"What if I want to leave? Would you come with me?" Steven's voice was barely a mumbled whisper.

Oh no. Oh no no no. "Steven, I don't think that's a good idea," Ianto started, gently.

"You promised!" Steven was looking at him now, and Ianto could see that his face was flushed. The light angled shadows on his eyes, and Ianto didn't know what to do if he started crying. 

"I...Steven, I'll stay with you if you want me to. I'll move to Bath. I'll-I can buy a house near yours, I can move in next door. But we're not running again. You need to go home, Steven." You need a normal life, a home you won't have to leave, friends.

"I don't want to go home!" 

Oh, _shit_. "Steven, what about your friends? What about your Dad?"

Steven's lips turned down in a familiar pout. "They all think I'm dead anyway."

Ianto tried to push himself up again. "Steven..."

"She didn't know me there!" 

The door cracked open, and Alice peeked in. Steven held up his book. "'m reading to Ianto," he said, looking down at the now-creased page. Ianto froze, unsure what to do, and the door closed again. 

"I don't want to go back." Steven said, not lifting his eyes of the page this time. "I want to go away. And you promised."

Ianto wanted to lean forward and wrap his arms around Steven. But he couldn't reach Steven, who was shrinking into his chair, and all of his hugs were awkward anyway. He couldn't get this right, and he knew he didn't have the words.

"We'll talk to your mum, ok? We'll figure something else out," Ianto tried. Because Ianto had promised. And Steven had walked from Bath to Leadworth by himself, and Ianto had to keep him from leaving. From thinking about leaving.

"No one is going to make you do anything you don't want to do, Steven." Ianto said softly. 

Steven didn't respond, looking down at his book. Before Ianto could consider a way to get himself out of bed and over to Steven's chair, Alice came in. As she walked across the room, Steven sank even further into his chair, lifting his book to hide his face.


End file.
